cahn | Frederick the Great discussion post 9

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...I leave you guys alone for one weekend and it's time for a new Fritz post, lol!

I'm gonna reply to the previous post comments but I guess new letter-reading, etc. should go in this one :)

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From:

selenak

my expectation is basically that Voltaire will quarrel and get in trouble wherever he is

I suppose you could except Ferney. (His Swiss retirement estate.) No drama there, he channeled his quarelling energies the long distance way by championing victims of legal injustices like Calas (wrote a bit about this in my "death of Voltaire" narration) in fiery pamphlets, and the people of Ferney rather approved of him building and financing Schools for them, not to mention he gave them jobs at his estate. When Madame Denis sold it all after his death, it was rather a blow for the people at Ferney. But yes, other than that.

Maybe she likes Voltaire because she doesn't really see him emotionally as a threat? Since he always has these girlfriends and all

Hm, could be an element (Fritz will never be Voltaire's one and only focus of attention), but I think it's just that Voltaire is her problematic fave. I mean, none of the other boyfriends shares so many personality traits with her beloved brother! Also, of course, while Voltaire doesn't flirt with her as with young Ulrike pre her marriage, he does correspond with her, and being taken seriously by Europe's most famous intellectual when you've been thought lesser because female all your life is rather flattering. The German edition of Wilhelmine's memoirs adds some letters of hers to Voltaire from the last year of her life (for the benefit of the readers, so they know about her ending, not because said letters were intended to go with the memoirs), and she adresses him as "Brother Voltaire" more than once. You can see why she might have thought he'd fit right in with the Hohenzollern family.

From:

cahn

being taken seriously by Europe's most famous intellectual when you've been thought lesser because female all your life is rather flattering

Oh, that's a good point. That's really interesting.

You can see why she might have thought he'd fit right in with the Hohenzollern family.

Heh. Quoted for truth.

From:

mildred_of_midgard

You can see why she might have thought he'd fit right in with the Hohenzollern family.

Mistaking Voltaire for a Hohenzollern has been done by others, starting with Marwitz. P